So basically, I discovered that SNG's suck, or I suck at them, or perhaps some of both, but I lost some relatively insignificant amount, maybe 7 buyins or so, after a lot of games, and am ready to go back to the cash game tables. Im going to revert to my previous plan to grind out 1/2 NL 4 tabling on FTP.
So here are two hands I played today where I wasnt quite sure what to do.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?767790
So I made two pair here, but the 3rd flush card hit, and a low set is a perfectly reasonable holding for him as well. I wonder though, is this fold too weak? I just felt like I would invest too much figuring out where I stood to make it profitable to play to the river, esp. OOP.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?767799
Here I have the nut flush draw on the flop, and am of course happy to be aggressive with it, so when he leads into me, I repop a standard 3.5x raise (since his was a little small), but then it gets wierd. When he 3bets me such a TINY amount, Im really beginning to feel like a set of 6's or 8's is his most likely holding. I think ANY two pair combo would bet bigger there if he decided to bet it (and only 68 makes a tiny bit of sense...and I dont know why a lower flush draw would bet again, but so light that it could not induce a fold... 79c is MAYBE a possibility, but Im thinking a set, and I call with great odds.
Ts completes 79c to a made hand, but is otherwise irrelevant, except that I have picked up 3 more outs (9's) against any of the set hands. When villain bets 60 here, Im getting ~3:1 to call, almost perfect odds to call with my 10 outs (Tc 8c are perhaps very bad cards), and with 150 behind him and a $232 pot going to the river, I can definitely expect some implied odds.
Anyway, I bricked out (technically hit a mid pair with TOP KICKER!!!), and folded.
Basically, Im excited to get back on the cash game grind, even if January is going to be like a break even month, Ill go from there, (although Im slightly worried about the shutting down of neteller, and other ewallets...and the effect it will have on online poker, but there is nothing I can do about that, so Ill have to wait to see how that turns out.
In other news, Im really excited about school this semester. Im taking Abstract algebra, Vector calculus, Game Theory, and a course on Social / Political Philosophy. Im having a good time and want to get a solid 4.0 this semester, since I kinda screwed off most of last semester. I know Im a loser, but theoretical math really makes me excited, and I enjoy studying it, not something Im willing to give up for poker or for anything else.
So thats about it for now, Im going to write up a Yearly update each month with some numbers in them, although this months will be kind of pathetic since I spent most of my time having fun with friends and family, and those stupid SNG's toward the end, not much cash game play, but I think it will be a good practice to start, and I think Ill put it up like Feb 1 or so.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
SNG's vs cash games
Okay, so my main problem with cash games is that my play deteriorates, and I find it difficult to play them for any longer than 2 hours or so.
So I was thinking, as I mentioned in my last entry a few short hours ago, I could play SNG's again. I havent done them really since the beginning of my poker career, but I could make them my bread and butter. If I 4 tabled 109 SNG's and could hit a ROI of 20% that would be pretty damn good cash, and since they are really not that draining, I could try to play a high volume, like 400-500 a month. I havent checked with anyone about what a good ROI is at those stakes, so maybe 20 is unattainable, and 10% is a more reasonable estimate, but I think I might give this a try.
They are just lower stress, and at least for a little while, if I can book a decent profit it would be good for me, have been having a rough time of late. Anyone know a good program to keep track of SNG or Tourney results, or will PokerTracker do that? I have no idea if it does or how.
Anyway, I obviously need to look more into what a reasonable expectation is for ROI, and how to track winnings, oh yeah, and hell it couldnt hurt to learn how to play them either, but Im kinda psyched about giving this a try for a month or two, to see how it goes.
So I was thinking, as I mentioned in my last entry a few short hours ago, I could play SNG's again. I havent done them really since the beginning of my poker career, but I could make them my bread and butter. If I 4 tabled 109 SNG's and could hit a ROI of 20% that would be pretty damn good cash, and since they are really not that draining, I could try to play a high volume, like 400-500 a month. I havent checked with anyone about what a good ROI is at those stakes, so maybe 20 is unattainable, and 10% is a more reasonable estimate, but I think I might give this a try.
They are just lower stress, and at least for a little while, if I can book a decent profit it would be good for me, have been having a rough time of late. Anyone know a good program to keep track of SNG or Tourney results, or will PokerTracker do that? I have no idea if it does or how.
Anyway, I obviously need to look more into what a reasonable expectation is for ROI, and how to track winnings, oh yeah, and hell it couldnt hurt to learn how to play them either, but Im kinda psyched about giving this a try for a month or two, to see how it goes.
Needed a break
So I havent played any online cash games in over a week. I needed to clear my head. I took a weekend trip to Turning Stone, and did alright there, although ended up losing a little after I lost a 1k pot set over set, so that kind of sucked.
Anyway, my Bankroll online is down to about 9k, so pretty much 2007 blows so far. Im considering playing lots of 100 turbo sng's for a month, maybe even a few months, to build up some confidence, since I think they are pretty beatable, and for some reason Im more able to remove myself from the results and focus on playing well. I hope to bring that kind of attitude back to cash games when I do return, focusing on equity instead of results. Im also going to study some recent CR videos that I missed during the holidays, being out of town without internet! (it was brutal).
Also, was totally psyched to see that Daut44 (Ryan Daut, Taylor Caby's student) took down the PCA WPT event for 1.5 mill, that guy is amazing. Oh and even though Taylor was helping him out with cash games, I think it shows he has an INCREDIBLE eye for talent, and even when he is finished with poker, he is going to be successful in ANY future endeavors. Anyway, this is Daut's day, so one last time, congrats to him, incredible win.
Anyway, my Bankroll online is down to about 9k, so pretty much 2007 blows so far. Im considering playing lots of 100 turbo sng's for a month, maybe even a few months, to build up some confidence, since I think they are pretty beatable, and for some reason Im more able to remove myself from the results and focus on playing well. I hope to bring that kind of attitude back to cash games when I do return, focusing on equity instead of results. Im also going to study some recent CR videos that I missed during the holidays, being out of town without internet! (it was brutal).
Also, was totally psyched to see that Daut44 (Ryan Daut, Taylor Caby's student) took down the PCA WPT event for 1.5 mill, that guy is amazing. Oh and even though Taylor was helping him out with cash games, I think it shows he has an INCREDIBLE eye for talent, and even when he is finished with poker, he is going to be successful in ANY future endeavors. Anyway, this is Daut's day, so one last time, congrats to him, incredible win.
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Not so great a start... How many outs can I miss??
So I was really optimistic last night, and ready to put in a big session to kick off the new year, but after 200 hands of 4 tabling 1/2 I was already down about 4.5 buyins, and decided to call it a night. Anyway I got back on the horse today, and recovered some of my losses, but still I have been in some viscous situations. I am proud to report that despite all of this, I did not tilt, and was able to make every decision based on what I believed would be the most profitable play. Anyway, here are a bunch of hands which on their own are okay (except hand 1 wtf is wrong with him...), but strung together it was brutal.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710333
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710285
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710287
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710290
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710302
None of those hands was I even a big favorite (and a few I was a dog...but how do you play that 23? why does a guy with mid pair and an OESD play a 3 flush board...) And how freaking unlucky is that A6 vs KT hand HU?
Anyway, there are two hands Im curious what other people would have done with them, so Ill post those too.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710295
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710314
Both of these hand really made me think, and both times I decied that such a large bet was more indicitive of a draw, or AK, than KQ, and I figured a set was next to impossible, espeically in the first hand where the bet is even more rediculously large, and the board is barren except for the JT straight draw.
Anyway, thats all for now, Im going to take the night off and watch Poker After Dark at 2:05 on NBC. Its a really great show, on 6 nights a week, I think they show you like every hand that is played in a 6 person SNG between a bunch of pros. Its great to have so little voice over, and so much of the interaction that actually goes on at a poker table. And watching Phil Helmuth steam 9bb raises into pot after pot is pretty fun too, as he berates the table. I hope if Im ever really successful I do it with more class than that.
Oh yeah and I bought an Xbox 360, been thinking about it for a while, and I love it already. Games I got include Madden 07, Gears of War, Halo 2, and TOMB RAIDER - let me just say WOW.
well, until next time, good luck at the tables, just please spare some for me too, it would be fantastic if a draw could hit for me sometime in my next 2k hands.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710333
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710285
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710287
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710290
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710302
None of those hands was I even a big favorite (and a few I was a dog...but how do you play that 23? why does a guy with mid pair and an OESD play a 3 flush board...) And how freaking unlucky is that A6 vs KT hand HU?
Anyway, there are two hands Im curious what other people would have done with them, so Ill post those too.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710295
http://www.pokerhand.org/?710314
Both of these hand really made me think, and both times I decied that such a large bet was more indicitive of a draw, or AK, than KQ, and I figured a set was next to impossible, espeically in the first hand where the bet is even more rediculously large, and the board is barren except for the JT straight draw.
Anyway, thats all for now, Im going to take the night off and watch Poker After Dark at 2:05 on NBC. Its a really great show, on 6 nights a week, I think they show you like every hand that is played in a 6 person SNG between a bunch of pros. Its great to have so little voice over, and so much of the interaction that actually goes on at a poker table. And watching Phil Helmuth steam 9bb raises into pot after pot is pretty fun too, as he berates the table. I hope if Im ever really successful I do it with more class than that.
Oh yeah and I bought an Xbox 360, been thinking about it for a while, and I love it already. Games I got include Madden 07, Gears of War, Halo 2, and TOMB RAIDER - let me just say WOW.
well, until next time, good luck at the tables, just please spare some for me too, it would be fantastic if a draw could hit for me sometime in my next 2k hands.
Monday, January 1, 2007
A new year with a new plan
I'm writing this blog for one simple reason: to keep myself accountable. It's not because I expect anyone will actually read it (keeping up with the ups and downs of a low stakes NLHE player isn't exactly People Magazine material). I just need a place to be honest with myself, to be able to reflect on what I've done well, and what I've done wrong. Somehow, its therapeutic to put my thoughts down on paper, where I can take an honest look at my life, and proceed from there.
I dont exactly know how to begin this, but I guess I'll start with an introduction.
My name is Mike. Im 19 and I am a sophomore at the University of Rochester, in upstate NY. I started playing poker in high school with some friends, just $5 or $10 games, but eventually the action ran dry. My friend Alex and I were "too good" for the game (i.e. we had read a poker book, and could site facts like 22 > AK all in preflop), and a bunch of our friends got tired of losing, so they quit playing after about a year. Around that time, my friend found a promotion running through the GamingClub which offered $20 free to sign up, no deposit required. We each signed up, and played $5 buyin games online. I lost my $20 within a week, but while I was over at Alex's house one day, he was playing a freeroll and I railed him for hours until finally he ended up taking 2nd, for $300. Now to us that was a ton of money, being two high school kids who hadn't had their first job yet, and whose sole form of income was an allowance. After that, he cashed out his winnings, since it seemed risky to keep that much money online, and I had no way to deposit online, so I forgot about poker for a while...
When I went to college, I found that I had a lot more free time than I had had in high school. I used to play computer games (actually my freshman year of high school is mostly a blur since I was SO absorbed in a computer game - Anarchy Online, a MMORPG which I logged MONTHS of playtime into), so I decided to take up WoW (World of Warcraft) for a while. But it just didnt stick this time. Anyway, I dont remember exactly what triggered it, but I rediscovered online poker, and deposited $50 on PokerRoom. After quickly discovering that $50 was not a sufficient bankroll for $25 NL, I switched to $5 SNG's. (eh, maybe not so quickly I made 4 deposits of $50 each, and promised my girlfriend that if things did not go well this time, I was done throwing my money away).
----->(Skip to here if you were bored with my introduction :-p)
Anyway, over a year of serious play, I have progressed through the ranks of online poker to 1/2 NL. I have been at this level since May 2006, and each time I try to step up to 2/4 NL I crash and burn. My plan for the year is simply to keep a disciplined attitude toward poker, and grind out a good profit, eventually transitioning to 2/4 NL, but only after I really feel ready to make the jump. I will be starting with a bankroll of $10,000.00, exactly 50 buyins at 1/2, and my goal is to make $100,000 in 2007. If I play a disciplined game of 1/2 NL for 6 months, shorthanded and HU, I think I can make 6-8K a month. If by then I can transition to 2/4 NL and make 8-12K a month, I would easily hit my goal, although my first month of transition may be rough. Its an ambitious goal, but I intend to play a lot more poker this year, including making it my "summer job," and to eliminate any lack of professionalism from my game (tilt, hunches, etc). If I do all of that, and still fall short by a bit, I wont be upset at all.
I intend to update this blog fairly regularly - with poker and non-poker related topics, regarding my progress toward my goal, other important events in my life, and the occasional political rant about Rush Limbaugh and other disgusting creatures.
I dont exactly know how to begin this, but I guess I'll start with an introduction.
My name is Mike. Im 19 and I am a sophomore at the University of Rochester, in upstate NY. I started playing poker in high school with some friends, just $5 or $10 games, but eventually the action ran dry. My friend Alex and I were "too good" for the game (i.e. we had read a poker book, and could site facts like 22 > AK all in preflop), and a bunch of our friends got tired of losing, so they quit playing after about a year. Around that time, my friend found a promotion running through the GamingClub which offered $20 free to sign up, no deposit required. We each signed up, and played $5 buyin games online. I lost my $20 within a week, but while I was over at Alex's house one day, he was playing a freeroll and I railed him for hours until finally he ended up taking 2nd, for $300. Now to us that was a ton of money, being two high school kids who hadn't had their first job yet, and whose sole form of income was an allowance. After that, he cashed out his winnings, since it seemed risky to keep that much money online, and I had no way to deposit online, so I forgot about poker for a while...
When I went to college, I found that I had a lot more free time than I had had in high school. I used to play computer games (actually my freshman year of high school is mostly a blur since I was SO absorbed in a computer game - Anarchy Online, a MMORPG which I logged MONTHS of playtime into), so I decided to take up WoW (World of Warcraft) for a while. But it just didnt stick this time. Anyway, I dont remember exactly what triggered it, but I rediscovered online poker, and deposited $50 on PokerRoom. After quickly discovering that $50 was not a sufficient bankroll for $25 NL, I switched to $5 SNG's. (eh, maybe not so quickly I made 4 deposits of $50 each, and promised my girlfriend that if things did not go well this time, I was done throwing my money away).
----->(Skip to here if you were bored with my introduction :-p)
Anyway, over a year of serious play, I have progressed through the ranks of online poker to 1/2 NL. I have been at this level since May 2006, and each time I try to step up to 2/4 NL I crash and burn. My plan for the year is simply to keep a disciplined attitude toward poker, and grind out a good profit, eventually transitioning to 2/4 NL, but only after I really feel ready to make the jump. I will be starting with a bankroll of $10,000.00, exactly 50 buyins at 1/2, and my goal is to make $100,000 in 2007. If I play a disciplined game of 1/2 NL for 6 months, shorthanded and HU, I think I can make 6-8K a month. If by then I can transition to 2/4 NL and make 8-12K a month, I would easily hit my goal, although my first month of transition may be rough. Its an ambitious goal, but I intend to play a lot more poker this year, including making it my "summer job," and to eliminate any lack of professionalism from my game (tilt, hunches, etc). If I do all of that, and still fall short by a bit, I wont be upset at all.
I intend to update this blog fairly regularly - with poker and non-poker related topics, regarding my progress toward my goal, other important events in my life, and the occasional political rant about Rush Limbaugh and other disgusting creatures.
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